Transporte pediátrico y neonatal en España, Portugal y Latinoamérica

Characteristics of Transport of Ill Pediatric Patients in the Emergency Department: A Latin America Multicenter Prospective Study

OBJECTIVE

The aim was to describe the characteristics of the transport system of critically ill pediatric patients in the emergency departments (EDs) in Latin America (LA).

METHODOLOGY

This is a prospective cross-sectional study in a 1-year period. Patients were recruited on days 1, 7, 14, 21, and 28 of each month in the EDs in LA. We included ill-pediatric patients aged 1 month to 18 years. Patients who needed transfer for a diagnostic study, with arrival mode not by ambulance, or with the impossibility of interviewing the transfer team were excluded from the study.

RESULTS

A total of 389 patients were included in the study. The majority were males (57%) with a median age of 49 months (interquartile range, 10-116). Thirty-three percent (129) of transfers had the participation of a coordinating center; 97.1% (375) were carried out by road ambulance, and 84.3% (323) were interhospital transfers, with a mean distance traveled of 83.2 km (SD, 105 km). The main reason for transfer in 88.17% (343) was the need for a more complex health center. The main diagnosis was respiratory distress (71; 18.2%), acute abdomen (70; 18%), Traumatic Brain Injury (33; 8.48%), multiple trauma (32; 8.23%), septic shock (31; 7.9%), and COVID-19-related illness (19; 4.8%). A total of 296 (76.5%) patients had peripheral vascular access, and 171 (44%) patients had oxygen support with 49 (28.6%) having invasive ventilation; the most frequent monitoring method (67.8%) was pulse oximetry, and 83.4% (313) did not record adverse events. Regarding the transfer team, 88% (342) had no specialized personnel, and only 62.4% (243) had a physician on their teams.

CONCLUSIONS

In LA, there is great variability in personnel training, equipment for pediatric transport, team composition, and characterization of critical care transport systems. Continued efforts to improve conditions in our countries may help reduce patient morbidity and mortality.

Reduction of infant mortality from congenital heart defects in a middle-income country: Costa Rican experience

BACKGROUND

We aimed to analyze recent infant and neonatal mortality from congenital heart defects (CHD) in Costa Rica, a middle-income country where CHD mortality was above expectations.

METHODS

A descriptive analysis of infant and neonatal mortality rates from CHD (IMR-CHD and NMR-CHD) during 2000-2019 was performed, according to province, sex, specific CHD, and sub-period, using data from the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses. We used joinpoint regression to identify any calendar-year where a significant change in trend occurred; the average annual percent change (AAPC) was determined. Using Poisson regression, marginal means and mortality ratios (MR) for IMR-CHD and NMR-CHD by sub-period (2000-2006-referent-, 2007-2013, 2014-2019) were estimated and compared using Wald's chi-square tests (α ≤ .05).

RESULTS

During 2000-2019, CHD accounted for 12% of overall infant mortality. IMR-CHD and NMR-CHD decreased linearly over the study period (AAPC = -3.4; p < .01). IMR-CHD decreased by 41%, from 13.6 per 10,000 in 2000-2006 (13.4% of infant mortality) to 8.1 per 10,000 in 2014-2019 (10% of infant mortality) (MR = 0.59; 95% confidence intervals [CI] = 0.52-0.68). NMR-CHD decreased by 38%, from 7.9 per 10,000 in 2000-2006 (11.1% of neonatal mortality) to 4.9 per 10,000 in 2014-2019 (7.9% of infant mortality) (MR = 0.59; 95% CI = 0.52-0.68). Male presented significantly higher NMR-CHD. The main causes of mortality (2014-2019) were total anomalous pulmonary venous connections, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, and double inlet ventricle.

CONCLUSIONS

IMR-CHD, NMR-CHD, and their proportional contribution to mortality by all causes and by birth defects decreased significantly, demonstrating that all improvements implemented in the last decades have yielded favorable results.

A Survey Assessing Pediatric Transport Team Composition and Training

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to assess national pediatric/neonatal specialty transport teams' composition and training requirements to determine if any current standardization exists.

METHODS

This was a survey of the transport teams listed with the American Academy of Pediatrics via SurveyMonkey.

RESULTS

While most of the teams maintain internal criteria for team competency and training, there is large variation across team compositions. The vast majority of the teams have a nurse-led team with the addition of another nurse, medic, and/or respiratory therapist regardless of mode of transport. Many of the teams report adjusting team composition based on acuity. Fewer than 15% of teams have a physician as a standard team member. More than 80% required a minimum number of supervised intubations prior to independent practice; however, the number varied largely from as little as 3 to as many as 30. Eighty-eight percent of the teams report using simulation as part of their education program, but again there were marked differences between teams as to how it was used.

CONCLUSIONS

There is tremendous variability nationally among pediatric/neonatal transport teams regarding training requirements, certifications, and team composition. The lack of standardization regarding team member qualifications or maintenance of competency among specialized transport teams should be looked at more closely, and evidence-based guidelines may help lead to further improved outcomes in the care of critically ill pediatric patients in the prehospital setting.